In an effort to increase computational power, many computing systems are turning to multi-processor systems. A multi-processor system typically includes a plurality of microprocessors, a plurality of associated caches, and a main memory. In an effort to reduce bus traffic to the main memory, many multi-processor systems use a “write-back” (as opposed to a “write-through”) policy. A “write-back” policy is a cache procedure whereby a microprocessor may locally modify data in its cache without updating the main memory until the cache data needs to be replaced. In order to maintain cache coherency in such a system, a cache coherency protocol may be used.
One problem with a “write-back” policy is sourcing a read request from one cache when another cache is holding the requested memory block in a modified state (i.e., the data is “dirty”). If the requesting cache is allowed to read the data from main memory, the value of the data will be incorrect. In order to solve this problem, some protocols abort the read operation, require the cache with the “dirty” data to update the main memory, and then allow the requesting cache to “retry” the read operation. However, this process adds latency to the read operation and increases bus traffic to the main memory. In an effort to further reduce bus traffic to the main memory, other protocols allow a first cache that is holding locally modified data (i.e., “dirty” data) to directly supply a second cache that is requesting the same block, without updating main memory.